Undo It
by WritelkeUmeanit
Summary: S7-S6. After a bad night, Luke wakes up to a stranger in his apartment. The woman is talking about second chances and fixing what went wrong. Luke thinks he's going crazy. But is he? Or has he really been given a chance to make things right? Three-Shot.
1. Am I Dreaming?

_Before you scroll down to read, I'd like to take a minute to explain my new story. It will only take a second, then I promise you'll get to the good stuff, :). _

_So, I recently read a new one-shot from one of my fav authors who goes by the name, _**Oh-no-she-di'ent.**_ It was an AU story with a sort of time travel/time changing concept. I fell in love with the story and in love with the idea; I was inspired. Then out came this baby. _

_To give a quick summary, this one is also kinda AU with a touch of _**Charmed** _thrown in. Now, don't get the wrong idea; this isn't a crossover story and contains no characters or plots from Charmed, but I did steal a concept from the show, which should become clear soon enough to those who are fans of the program. (Love that show!)_

_I've put Drama/Angst as the genre, and while the description sorta fits, this chapter has a touch of Supernatural to it as well. Just a dab. And the second chapter will be more than Drama/Angst. So don't let the Angst turn off you to reading. This story will only be two chapters so the Angst wont go on forever, lol. _

_To set the scene, after a bad night, Luke wakes up to a stranger in his apartment. The woman claims to be an angel, talking about second chances and fixing what went wrong. Luke thinks he's dreaming. He thinks he's going crazy. But is he? Or has he really been given a chance to make things right? _

_And now that I have you all intrigued, please, read on!_

**Undo It**

**Chapter One: Am I Dreaming?**

The day started okay. Luke began the cool, breezy morning like any other, going through his normal routine with ease and familarity. But around the dinner rush, things changed when he spotted Lorelai and her new husband walking hand and hand across the street. The scene made him lose it. It was bad enough he'd already been throwing customers out, dropping food, messing up orders. His behavior reminded the town of the break up that happened more than a year ago, though the second blow a thousand times worse than the first, and everyone knew why. The second time they were close. They were inches away from gaining the whole package. But then he screwed up. She slept with her ex. Everything went wrong.

It took Luke months to get to a point where he was on his way to being okay. And just when he managed to sleep through the night for the first time since their breakup -without the help of alcohol - he saw them. Luke was taking an order from an elderly couple when he made the mistake of looking up. He saw something he wished he hadn't seen. The two were holding hands. He was talking to her, telling her something that made her laugh and her smile sent a sharp ripple through Luke's stomach. The fact that that loser made her smile, it was like someone punched him in the gut. Luke turned angry, just like that; all it took was a second. And then she leaned into him. She kissed his cheek. Luke squeezed the notepod in his hand. Then he turned to her, smiled back, before leaving a kiss on her lips; one she encouraged and quickly became a part of. And that was the last straw. It was bad enough when he heard they had gotten married, but seeing it... that was another story entirely.

Luke slammed the notepad down on the table before rounding the counter, storming through the storage room and hurrying out the back. He walked around in a blind rage while the image of his ex fiance and her new jerk of a husband, kissing, talking, and holding hands, played over and over again in his mind. He couldn't erase the picture from his head. And with every unwanted replay, more anger, more sadness, more rage, more loneliness... just a plethora of emotions grew inside of him, the feelings multiplying by the minute, crowding his body, messing with his state of mind.

After walking around for ten minutes in a depressive huff, Luke found himself wondering through K.C's. He took a clumsy seat at the bar, waited impatiently to be served, then barked out his order to the bartender. First one beer came, then two, then three, then he stopped keeping track. Or maybe he never was.

Eventually the bartender cut him off. Luke didn't take that too well. He denied he was drunk, said he was fine, demanded another beer. The young bartender-though new-didn't panic when Luke lost his temper. Stars Hollow knew that though the Danes man wasn't the most calm creature and could yell with the best of 'em, he would never hurt anyone. But the 24 year who old recently graduated from bartending school was new to town and didn't know that fact. So when Luke showed signs of aggression, the new kid called in the cop who manned the door- Brett, one of five cops in the thrid precinct that resided in Stars Hollow- to escort Luke out. Of course the two weren't strangers, but Brett could see Luke wasn't doing too well, so he gave him a ride back to the diner. Luke resisted, at first, but the man just didn't have the energy to refuse the ride, to walk on his own, so it was a weak effort.

Two minutes later, Luke was stumbling up the old, creaky wooden stairs to his small, lonely apartment. When he reached the door, he swung it open, leaving it that way before finding his bed and falling into the mattress with a fustrated groan. The moment his head hit the pillow, his eyes fell closed and it didn't take long before the booze took it course, the powerful liquid causing Luke to fall into a deep, droozy slumber.

_XXX_

Luke could feel his head pounding while he tried in vain to hold onto to the sleep that was slipping from his body. He knew waking up would be a bad idea. He would just get sick. The man could never handle his alcohol very well. Normally a beer or two never did much harm but the hangover looming over his head just reminded him that he had more than a beer or two the night before. He knew he'd pay for the mishap the second his stomach realized he was awake. But try as he might, Luke couldn't fight back. He was waking up whether he liked it or not.

The sun poured in between the parted curtains, boring through Luke's skin, warming his body, harming his vision. The second he opened his eyes, he knew it was a mistake. The strong rays doubled his headache in a flash and Luke groaned while turning back to his pillow.

"Luke, sweetie, I really think you should get up."

Even with beer pumping through his veins, disorienting him, messing with him, he still knew he lived alone. He knew he shouldn't be hearing a voice in his apartment.

"Luke? You don't have much time. You need to wake up," the stranger urged.

Maybe, if he was sans hangover, he would have freaked out, but instead Luke managed to slowly roll his head to the side, his eyes squinting through the brightness to find a blurry image sitting at his kitchen table. It looked to be a woman, but through his foggy gaze, he couldn't pick up the details.

"I think this may help," the strange woman said while smiling at a glass of water that sat next to two advils.

Luke couldn't make out the pills or her expression. "Wha?" he croaked with a voice rough from sleep.

"I imagine you're having quite the headache right now. Am I right?"

Luke looked at her dumbly and the woman just smiled further.

"I know you aren't feeling well right now and if you were 15, I would yell at you for drinking so much, for drinking at all, but you're a grown man whose going through a hard time right now, so I understand. And, I can help you fix things, but you have to get up," she urged while turning a small clock for him to see. "It's just after nine. You don't have much time."

Luke's brows furrowed as he desperately tried to focus on the talking woman; as he tried to make sense of what she was saying, but his mind was hazy, his thoughts barely making sense, so he wasn't having much luck.

"I know you're confused," the woman deduced after his wordless reaction. "But you need to know you've been given a second chance. You can make things right, fix what's broken, and I'm going to help you. You may be thinking you're dreaming, that all that beer is altering reality, making you see something that isn't really there, but this isn't a dream, baby boy; this is real," she explained softly.

The endearment: baby boy, the two words rang a bell through Luke's cloudy mind. Even drunk, he could remember flickers from his childhood. There was only ever one person who called him baby boy, who spoke to him with such soft, gentle words.

His eyes widened in realization just seconds later, right after he put the pieces together. "Mom?" he rasped while pushing his chest away from the mattress.

"Yes," she confirmed through a nod and a smile.

The knowledge sobered him up quickly as Luke fought through the pain in his head, the ache in his body and the blinding sun that shone through his apartment. "What are you- how did you- why are you- what the hell is going on?" he sputtered while batteling through the twisted blankets to get to his feet.

"Sit," she ordered nicely while gesturing to the chair next to her."And watch your language."

Luke shuffled over to the table, all the while his face the very picture of confusion. He pulled out the chair he was told to and took a careful seat next to her.

"Take this," the woman then said while holding the two little red pills in the palm of her hand. Luke opened his own to receive the medicine and while he swallowed the pills, the woman was ready with a glass of water. "Drink." Again, Luke followed direction. "Good," she said with a pleased smile. "Hopefully that will help you feel better." Luke nodded mutely. "Now I suppose you'd like me to explain myself." Again he nodded. The woman smiled further. "I made a deal so you could have another chance. I can't tell you how horrible is for a mother to see her son day after day, be so miserable. You were happy with Lorelai," she said while wrapping her hand over Luke's, twining her fingers between his. "You and Lorelai are mean't to be together," she whispered. "I know it, your father knows it-"

"Dad," Luke interrupted. "Is he here? Where is he?" he demanded while turning his head back and forth.

"No, I'm sorry; it's only me," the woman said with a grin.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean-"

"I know."

"I'm glad you're here," Luke said quickly. "Really glad; Just confused. I mean how did you-"

The woman gave his hand a gentle squeeze to stop him while smiling hugely at her son. "If you would let me finish explaining."

"Oh, right, sorry; go on," he urged.

"Well, it just so happens that your father and I aren't the only ones who think you and Lorelai are supposed to be together; they do too."

Luke didn't think that was a great explanation as his confusion grew. "Whose 'they'?"

"That's not important. And unfortunetly I can't say. You just need to know that your break up was a mistake. Something went wrong. The, um... how do I explain this without breaking the rules," she murmured through a frown. "The heavens, they anticipated that you would react differently, but things didn't turn out that way. They blame free will, yet they're all for it. Go figure," she said while smirking.

"The heavens?"

She nodded.

"Can't give me a little more?"

She shook her head.

Luke sighed then said, "how was I supposed to react? And react to what?"

The woman's smiled turn. "You don't remember, do you?"

"Remember what?"

"They said you wouldn't remember, but I was hoping you would. That would've made this easier."

"Remember what?" Luke insisted.

The woman smiled while leaning further across the table. "I want you to have as much time as possible; you're racing agianst the clock, so I'll try and make this quick," she promised. "Now, they said you would remember one key event."

"What event?" Luke asked anxiously.

The woman turned to swipe the day's newspaper from the counter. She then slid the Stars Hollow Gazette across the table so it sat within his vision and taped the date for him to look at.

"May 16th, 2006," he read with a puzzled frown. "May 16th? No, this is old; it's-"

"December. Is that what you were going to say?" she questioned with a knowing smile.

Luke looked down at the newspaper then back at his mother, waiting for an explanation.

"Do you remember what happened on May 16th?" she asked.

The man was quiet for a moment while his forehead was creased with concentration as his memory searched for an answer.

"Lorelai," he whispered a minute later. "That's what you were talking about," he accused while looking back at his mom. "It's over."

"Yes."

"But why? What happened? I can't remember what happened," he said with desperation. "I just remember not having her. She's with that jerk; they got married."

"What else can you remember?"

Again, Luke searched his mind and a minute later said, "Nothing... nothing after today," he said through quirked brows while he tried to come up with something. "I just remember yesterday- or what was yesterday," the thought of trying to figure out what tense to use, confusing him. "I remember getting up, working in the diner, seeing them together, drinking too much... that's it, I can't remember anything else," he said after giving up. "I lost her and he has her. But I can't remember what happened, how I lost her."

The woman sighed while leaning back in her seat. "That was part of the deal. You're not allowed to remember. They want you to do what your heart tells you and if you have knowledge of what happened the first time, they say it would give you too much of an upper hand. That it wouldn't be fair," she explained through a roll of the eyes, showing Luke that she didn't agree with their reasoning. "So everything after May 16th is gone from your mind, except for yesterday- well, what was yesterday," she corrected. "You remember December 5th, so you know what it feels like to be without her. So you know the pain of losing your soul mate. They think having that feeling will help you to be more focused; help you to undo what went wrong."

"But how I can fix it if I don't know what I did wrong?" he asked. "Or, what I'm going to do wrong," he added through a thoughtful frown.

"Like I said, they think that as long as you're aware that you'll lose her, you'll make the right move when the time comes."

"So that's it? That's all I get? I'm just supposed to do this day over again with no idea how to fix it? Is that what you're telling me?" he demanded, his fustration evident.

"You have a second chance," the woman stressed. "You know the outcome; you have an advantage. They rewound time so you could find your path again. So you could follow through with your destiny. This is meant to be. If it wasn't, they wouldn't have done this."

"And you asked them to? Whoever 'they' are? You made this happen?"

The woman nodded. "Your father and I watch over you and your sister every day. You've always been there for Lizzy, making sure she's okay. You've been the big bother I've always hoped you would be," she complimented with a loving smile. "I died when you were young. I didn't get to be with either of you while you grew up. I had to watch from a distance, having no contact at all. Having to watch your father take care of you. I always knew he could; that never worried me, but I didn't get to be apart of it," she explained. "And when I died, I was given a choice. I was a good person with a good soul so I could have moved on. I could have been reborn into my next life, but I didnt want to go. I wanted to stay with my family, in any way that I could, so I went to heaven," she said through a smile. "And I will stay there until everyone I love is with me. Until we can all move on together. Your father made the same choice. And because it's truly believed you and Lorelai should be together, because they feel that you've gone through so much, having to grow up without a mother, having to be a father to your sister, having to become an adult so soon, they're doing something extraordinary. I begged for something to be done, anything. And they've preformed a miracle. I never thought this was possible."

"So they've never done this before?" Luke asked.

"I suppose they have, maybe once or twice, but I've never known about it," she said through a shrug. " And I wouldn't know. I only know now because you're my son, because I watch over you, because I've retained my memory of this day and the months leading to your previous future so I can help. But there's only so much I'm allowed to say. The rest you have to figure out on your own. And this is it. They're giving you one chance. If you make the same decision you did last time, then you'll relive everything with no opportunity to go back. This is a one time deal. And so no other lives' are effected, this is just another day to everyone else. No one knows that just yesterday, it was Decemeber. They'll live normally with no memories of their future. But they've let you remember what was yesterday, that's why you think it's still December. You remember that today, May 16th, 2006, your relationship with Lorelai ends, but you're not sure how. That's all you can know. Today has to remain a mystery. You have to figure out why and what to do differently on your own. And this is very important, you can't tell Lorelai anything about the future. She can't know what could happen. Anyone but you knowing what's going on could change more than just what happens between you and Lorelai. Others could be effected. Even you knowing what you do is a bit dangerous, but it's the only way. You can't tell anyone else. Do you understand?"

Luke's head was spinning. The more that the illusion of his mother spoke, the more he thought he was in fact dreaming. He knew there was no way it could be real. It had to be the beer talking. His dead mother wasn't really sitting at his kitchen table, talking to him about rewinding time and second chances... it had to be dream. That was the only plausable explanation.

"What's that thing people do to wake themselves up?" he questioned through furrowed brows. "Pinching, right? I think that's it. Pinch me," he requested while holding his arm out.

The woman pulled a grin before saying, "I can pinch you, but you won't wake up. This isn't a dream, Luke. And the sooner you realize this is very much real, the more time you'll have to stop this day from turning out like it did last time," she explained while reaching to pat his arm.

"Does it work the same if I pinch myself?" he asked just before pinching the skin on his arm and receiving not a wake up call, but a red mark instead. "Guess not," he muttered through a sigh.

"You're too stubborn for your own good. You get that from your father," the woman said through a smile. "If I pinch you, and you're still here, will that show you that this is real?" she asked.

Luke shrugged. "Hell, why not." His mother gave him a stern look. "Sorry; heck."

The woman smiled a bit before pinching his arm, right above the red mark that was left from just seconds ago.

"See?" she asked after nothing happened.

Luke closed his eyes while shaking his head back and forth, trying to make himself wake up. When his eyes popped open, he frowned after seeing that he was still sitting at the table, hallucinating.

The woman sighed through a sort of tired smile. "And here I thought you were with me for a while."

With determination, Luke stood up from his seat and practically stomped his way over to the night stand where he picked up the remote to the tevelsion. He flicked the T.V on, then clicked the button to channel 2. When the news appeared, he searched the bottom of the screen. Sure enough there was the date and time: May 16th, 2006, 9:09 a.m.

"This is nuts," he whispered in disbelief with stunned eyes glued to the T.V.

"Nuts, but true," the woman agreed while standing up from the table and walking over to Luke.

The man turned around and his eyes widened a bit when he saw her, really saw her, the whole picture. She looked like an angel, wearing a long, flowing sleeves white dress. She wore no jewerly or make up, but looked beautiful. And real, she looked so real. She looked like an angel, but she didn't look like she'd been spending years in heaven. She didn't look like she was dead.

"I have to go, they're calling me," the woman said while peaking up at the ceiling.

With furrowed brows, Luke looked up too but of course, he couldn't hear anything.

"Please, believe what you're seeing; believe what you're feeling," she urged. "Something is telling you this could be real; something is telling you you could be happy, and you can. Just follow your heart. Remember the horrible place you were in before this happened. You can fix this, fix your life, you just have to believe you've been given a gift, and do everything you can to take advantage of what you know," she explained through a smile. "You only have one chance; you only have today," she warned.

"Wait, when today does it happen? Soon? Later? Tonight?"

"I can't tell you that."

"But you said I don't have much time, right? Does it happen soon? Please, you have to help me. I need something to go off of here."

The woman smiled sympathatically while leaning over to kiss his check. "I have faith in you and you need to have faith in yourself. You can get her back. You'll feel what to do when it's time," she assured him before taking a step back. "Bye, baby. Good luck. Your father and I will be rooting for you. I love you," she said before a strong, bright ball of light took her place, the white, blinding rays leaving Luke no choice but to look away.

When he looked back not three seconds later, she was gone.

_XXX_

Luke realized he had nothing to lose. If it were a dream, then at least he would get to see Lorelai again, get to see her without the moron she married following her around like a lost puppy dog. And if it were real, then he had a chance to get her back. Either way, when his mom-illusion or real-left, he knew he better kick into high gear. He had to act fast.

By the time Luke was done getting sick and through with his shower- the shower being necessary, what with beer stench wreaking his body and breath- it was almost 9:30 and he was flying from his apartment. He breezed through the curtain, then came to a screeching halt when he was met with a full diner. Everyone was eating. No one even spared him a glance when he walked into the room. Though he did manage to get a passing, "hey boss," from Casear, the man carrying various plates to a table near the window.

Luke tried to keep his cool, but he couldn't help but feel nervous. He couldn't help but be curious. He looked around at everyone and noticed that they were dressed like it was mid-late spring. A few light jackets were thrown over chairs; people wore sleevless shirts, some dooning skirts and shorts. The room was warm. The sun was shinning bright outside. He knew it wasn't a winter day. Lane always had the heat blasting when it was cold and a quick glance at the thermos-stat keypad told him no heat filled the room.

"Hey. You're late today," Lane noted after popping out from the kitchen.

"Oh, uh, yeah- my alarm clock is broken," he stuttered.

"You okay?" she asked after stopping to look at him. "You look like you saw a ghost or something," she said through a small laugh.

"No, no ghost," he denied quickly. "Too much sleep I guess; I don't know," he said through a shrug.

"Oh-kay," Lane said through furrowed brows before moving past him.

"Lane, wait!"

She spun around. "Yeah?"

"What's today's date?"

The young adult looked at him with even more confusion. He always knew the time and the date and even the weather. He was weird about that stuff. "The 16th."

His eyes widened a bit. He thought maybe it was true. Maybe he was really in the past. "May 16th?"

"Yeah. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," he stressed while shaking his head yes.

"Okay."

"Wait, one more thing!" he stopped her again.

She turned and looked at him.

"Has Lorelai been in yet?

Lane shook her head and said, "she wasn't here yesterday either. Are you in a fight or something? Did she mess with your tools again?" Lane asked through a grin, wondering if the Gilmore dressed up his hammer like she did last time. And while the act amused everyone else, it ticked Luke off when the glitter and 'furry crap' as he called it, got in the way when he was trying to fix something.

"No, we're not fighting," he denied firmly. "When was she here last?" he asked anxiously with his mind too confused and jumbled up for him to think back himself.

"The day before last I think. Don't you remember?" she asked worriedly.

"She had a ring on, right? An engagement ring?" he asked quickly, wanting to make sure.

"Uh, yeah, of course," Lane said with grown worry and curiousity. He was claiming to be fine, but she could see something was up with him.

Luke blew out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Something in him, he wanted to believe it was true; he wanted to believe he'd been given a second chance to undo his mistakes and though he still had some doubts, the more he was seeing; the more he was hearing- the more he believed.

"Where is she? Do you know where she is?"

"The Inn probably" Lane guessed while eyeing him carefully.

Luke nodded his thanks before darting for the door. He stopped for the briefest second to check on the time then after seeing that it was 9:32, he left the diner, bypassing his truck and running for the Inn.

_To Be Continued..._

**So, what'dya think?! Are you sitting at the edge of your seat with wide eyes and that 'I can't believe she stopped there; I wanna chase her down with a rope and a pitchfork for leaving such a mean cliffhanger!' look on your face? If so, I have achieved my goal, lol. **

**Edge or not, I'd love to hear some thoughts. Was it good? Bad? Okay? Downright terrible? Horribly confusing? Should I find a new hobby? (that's your cue to click on that ever so tempting review icon and let me know that the story is coming out wonderfully and I was born to write.) Even a simple, 'good going' will suffice, lol. **

**In all seriousness, I'd just like some feedback. Any kind-a feedback, :). **

**Thank you!!!! **

**- Kaci -**


	2. Run Down Memory Lane

_I'll make this A/N short n sweet. _

_First, a HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. You all have no idea how much I appreciate the wonderful comments. Your reviews keep me writing, :D. _

_Oh and as far as the charmed thing, to clear it up for everyone, Luke's mom wasn't a whitelighter, just an angel, :D. But yes, I was going with the elders being the 'they', lol. _

_And last but not least, turns out my plans have gotten changed a bit. Looks like this will be a three-shot But the more the merrier, right? I hope so. _

_Okay, enjoy! And please review when you're done!!! _

_Thanks!!!_

**Undo It**

**Chapter Two: Run Down Memory Lane**

"Has Lorelai been in yet?

Lane shook her head and said, "she wasn't here yesterday either. Are you in a fight or something? Did she mess with your tools again?" Lane asked through a grin, wondering if the Gilmore dressed up his hammer like she did last time. And while the act amused everyone else, it ticked Luke off when the glitter and 'furry crap' as he called it, got in the way when he was trying to fix something.

"No, we're not fighting," he denied firmly. "When was she here last?" he asked anxiously with his mind too confused and jumbled up for him to think back himself.

"The day before last I think. Don't you remember?" she asked worriedly.

"She had a ring on, right? An engagement ring?" he asked quickly, wanting to make sure.

"Uh, yeah, of course," Lane said with grown worry and curiousity. He was claiming to be fine, but she could see something was up with him.

Luke blew out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Something in him, he wanted to believe it was true; he wanted to believe he'd been given a second chance to undo his mistakes and though he still had some doubts, the more he was seeing; the more he was hearing- the more he believed.

"Where is she? Do you know where she is?"

"The Inn probably" Lane guessed while eyeing him carefully.

Luke nodded his thanks before darting for the door. He stopped for the briefest second to check on the time then after seeing that it was 9:32, he left the diner, bypassing his truck and running for the Inn.

_Earlier That Morning_

_Sookie's_

Lorelai awoke to loud whispers and the sounds of little feet scampering back and forth across the floor. She heard just about every word that was exchanged between Sookie and Jackson and while they speculated on what may have happened the night before, Lorelai didn't move. Her chest barely lifted enough for her to breath. Her face stayed solemn; a haze clouded her eyes. Thoughts rolled around in her head while she stared straight ahead, her stare glued to the wall.

When Sookie and her family left, Lorelai tried to go back to sleep, but she just couldn't. The image of that house, that beautiful, perfect house filled the darkness everytime she closed her eyes. It was too much having to see it. It was a big tease, having to see something she couldn't the irony of the situation was unbearable. Finally, her mother and father were seemingly hopping on board with she and Luke, but the man in question appeared to be hopping off.

It started off small. First, he postponed the wedding. Then a night here or there, he'd stayed at the diner if April didn't get picked up 'till late. And when he did sleep at her place, he wouldn't show up until at least nine, sometimes later. Eventually he'd forget to call her because again, he was busy with April. Plans sometimes got cancelled; she had to steer clear of the diner at certain times.

But then something happened. A light at the end of the tunnel. April's 13th birthday party. A panicked Luke called her, begging for her to please, come and help. Of course she did, and the night was a hit. The girls loved her. She was finally getting to know April and Luke seemed okay with it. Lorelai was thrilled with the revelation but just like that, her tiny spec of hope got snatched away. Anna wasn't happy. And Luke had to make sure she was happy if he wanted any chance of being able to continue to see his daughter.

Lorelai understood. Sure, she was angry with him when she found out; hurt that he kept it from her for so long, but she understood. He was scared, confused, afraid she'd react badly... she understood. She even understood that he needed time alone with his daughter in the beginning. He needed to get to know April. But then a month went by and instead of letting her in, making her apart of things, he just pushed her away. She knew he didn't mean to, but then two months dragged on and she saw her fiance slipping through her fingers. Then three months, and now almost four and there she was, lying on her friend's couch, wearing the same dress she had on the night before with a horrible feeling sitting in the pit of her stomach. She knew she was losing him. And this time, she thought, it might be for good. She just wasn't sure if she could keep living this way. She loved him, with all of her heart, but it was killing her. Being engaged to someone who was falling further and further away with every passing day... it was hell for her. But she knew if she pushed him too hard, than it would really be over. And she knew she couldn't handle that.

Lorelai looked down at the ring on her finger and spread the pad of her thumb over the diamond. The ring was pretty, simple, classic- very her. The fit was perfect; there were no alterations needed. When she first saw it, when he showed up at her house talking about a full moon and his moment, when he pulled out the ring, the sadness over losing her daugther that weighed down on her chest, it felt a little lighter. And when he put it on her... it was magical. She gave him a big, heartfelt smile. She was truly happy. In that moment, she was so incredibly happy. The man she loved promised to marry her and be with her forever. Having him around made dealing with Rory dropping out from school and moving into her parents's house bearable. So knew even getting out of bed in the morning would have been a hell of a lot worse if she didn't have him. But things weren't like that anymore. She wasn't okay.

"I'm losing him," she whispered under her breath as tears welled in her eyes. But before water could fall, her cell phone rang.

Lorelai quickly wiped her eyes before reaching for the phone, then taking the call. It was Michel. He needed her at the Inn. She promised to be there as soon as she could.

After standing up on shaky feet, Lorelai closed her eyes while taking a deep breath. She told herself to focus, worry about work right now. She smoothed her hands over her dress, grabbed her purse, then headed for her jeep.

_XXX_

Luke's journey started for the Inn, but at the corner of Oak, he knew if he went left, the Inn was a handfulof blocks down the road; if he went right, her house was just two blocks away.

He went right, figuring there was a chance he could catch her there. He thought, maybe he'd get some luck. He prayed for this to be her day off, though something told him it wasn't. He couldn't explain it, but he had a feeling that he wouldn't find her there. Still though, he had to try. He had to find her. He had to fix this.

_Crapshack_

After talking to Rory and assuring her daughter she was fine, Lorelai trudged up the porch stairs and into her house. Before opening the door, she plastered on a smile for Patty's sake. If she looked sad, like something was wrong, she knew Patty would be the first to question her and she just didn't have the engery to convince someone else she was okay. It was hard for her, pretending to be something she wasn't, but for her daughter, she would do it. For anyone else, at the time, she just didn't have the strength.

Lorelai thanked her neighbor for watching Paul Anka and just when Patty was about to leave, Luke plowed through the door.

"Lorelai?!" he called, his voice urgent.

"Patty, please" Lorelai begged in a whisper while ducking into her daughter's room. "Tell him I'm not here."

"No, no, but I- Luke, hi!" the woman boosted as the man in question popped into the kitchen.

"What the hell are you doing here? Where's Lorelai?" he asked quick.y through furrowed brows.

"Well, she's not here," Patty said nervously while trying to come up with something to say.

"Her Jeep's right our front," Luke argued.

Patty shrugged and said, "all I know is she called to have me come and feed Paul anka."

"Called from where?" he demanded.

"I don't know. The Inn, maybe."

"Damn it," he cursed. "The Inn." He realized he was right the first time. He should have went there first.

But just when he was about say bye to Patty and fly out the door, he realized something.

"Lorelai never walks to work," he said without a doubt.

Lorelai winced from Rory's room, where she stood hiding behind the door.

"She's usually running late and doesn't have time to walk, even if she wanted to. And at 8 in the morning, you know as well as I do that Lorelai wouldn't walk all the way to the Inn. She hardly walked to the Independence Inn and that place was closer," he reasoned.

Patty looked to Rory's room with wide eyes. Lorelai crossed her fingers while looking up to pray to God.

"Unless," Luke said a moment later, "she was having car trouble. Was she? Was the jeep making that weird noise again?" he asked through a frown.

Patty jumped at that. "Yes! Yes! I remember now, she said she was having car trouble so Michel gave her a ride."

Luke nodded. "Thanks, Patty. I have to find her," he said while turning for the door.

"Luke, wait!"

Lorelai's brows furrowed as she took a step back into her daughter's room while she wondered why Patty stopped him.

The gossip queen just couldn't help but ask, "is everything okay between you two?"

"Everything is fine," he said firmly. "I have to go," he said before running from the house.

Once the door closed behind him, Lorelai hurried into the kitchen.

"Patty," she hissed.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she apologized. "I can't help myself."

Lorelai sighed. "I know."

"Is something going on with you and Luke?" she asked cautiously, truly concerned for her friend.

"It's nothing," Lorelai said. "We had a little fight, nothing big. I'm just..."

"Punishing him," Patty filled in. "Good for you. The longer the freeze-out, the better the makeup."

"Yes, exactly. Listen, thank you for doing this."

"Oh, sure, any time. If you need anything else, just give me a call."

"I will."

Patty nodded while turning to leave, but before she reached the door, she stopped and looked back at Lorelai. "Oh, and, honey, don't freeze him out too long. Luke is a much better man than my first husband... or second husband. But he's neck and neck with the third one though."

Lorelai nodded through a fake smile. "Okay."

Patty smiled while going back to the door. "Bye, Paul Anka! Thank you for letting me scratch your butt for an hour! Just like husband number four."

Lorelai laughed a bit, "Bye."

The dance teacher gave a small wave before leaving the house.

The second Patty left, Lorelai ran to her living room and swiped the phone from the couch.

"Michel, listen, Luke's on his way; when he comes in, tell him I'm out to breakfast with Rory, okay? If he asks about my car, tell him it's acting up again so we took Rory's. But don't mention the car thing unless he asks about it. If he asks where I am, I'm with Rory. Got it?" she asked anxiously.

"Yes," the man drooled, his voice dull, uncaring. "Do you plan on coming in at all today, or are you just going to run off and have your fun while some of us are busy earning their paychecks," he asked.

"I'll be in later, Michel. Goodbye."

"But I need you to sign for something, remember," he called.

"You're the manager, Michel; you can sign for a stupid package. Bye," she said before hanging up.

_The Inn_

No more than five minutes went by before Luke was running across the bridge and up the path to the Inn. It would have taken him a bit longer, but he took the shortcut Lorelai showed him years before. She discovered the route while still working at the Inndepdence Inn, but on her day off, she was snooping around the old, deserted Dragon Fly, carrying high hopes and big dreams. It happened during the summer while Rory was away at Washington, the Inn to the square being one of the many shortcuts she discovered during that period.

Luke hurried up the porch stairs and straight to the lobby. He noted that it was just after ten, though why he checked the time, he wasn't sure. The clock was ticking, yes, but he didnt' know when his time would expire. But none the less, he noted the time.

"Michel, where's Lorelai?" Luke asked through short breaths before stopping to calm his beating heart.

The man sighed, wanting to mess with Luke's head, but knowing Lorelai would kill him if he didn't follow her instructions. "She's with Rory. They went to get breakfast or something," he said with his eyes and attention focused on the computer screen.

"Breakfast?" Luke questioned. "No, that can't be right. She wouldn't wait this late to eat," he argued.

"That's what she said. Now go away; I'm very busy," he said while making a shooing motion with his hand.

Luke rolled his eyes, ignoring the man's request while swinging around the desk and grabbing a stack of post- it's from the shelf.

"Hey! What are you doing!?" the snooty french man shrieked.

"Go back to work," Luke growled while grabbing a pen then quickly jotting down a note. After leaving the words on the small piece of paper, Luke pulled it free from the stack then stuck it on the desk. "Make sure Lorelai sees that," he warned through a firm voice. "If I dont' hear back from her soon, I'm blaming you," he cautioned.

Michel put his hands up in surrender. He could see that Luke wouldn't take any messing around. And of course he knew Luke could beat him to a pulp if he wanted to.

Luke sent Michel one last look of warning before leaving.

_XXX_

After running back to the diner, Luke raced through the room and headed straight for his apartment. Peoples' heads turned, their faces filled with confusion, but a moment later, they brushed it off, instead getting back to their late morning breakfasts.

When Luke got upstaris, he swiped his cell phone from the table, that being closer than his house phone. While he dialed, he cursed himself for not bringing it with him before.

He first tried Lorelai. It rang and rang until it went to voicemail. He left a message asking her to please, call him, or come by. He needed to talk to her. After that, he dialed Rory.

"_Hello," _the youngest Gilmore answered.

"Rory, good. Can you put your mom on?" he questioned, not having time to ask about her. There was always later for that. This couldn't wait.

"_Mom?"_ Rory asked, confused "_But she's- oh, hold on, call waiting,"_ After switching to the other line, Rory answerd with a, "_Mom, hey; why does Luke think you're with me?" _she questioned.

"He called you?" Lorelai asked, panicked.

"_He's on the other line. He asked to talk to you, but then you called."_

Lorelai blew out a breath. "Good, I'm not too late. I forgot to call you when I did this. Listen, if Luke asks, you and me are out to breakfast, okay? Oh and if he asks about my car, it was being weird so we took yours. But only say that if he asks," she warned.

With furrowed brows, Rory asked,_"Why do you want me to lie to Luke?"_

"Rory, please, I'll explain later, just do this for me."

"_But doesn't he know that I'm at Logan's graduation?"_

"I think so, but I told him it was early. He'll probably just assume it's over by now. I have to get to the Inn before Michel has a mental breakdown. Oh, but don't tell him I'm there, okay? Thanks, babe, I owe you one."

"_But-"_ Before Rory could say anything else, her mother had hung up.

Quickly, she redirected back to Luke.

"_Hey, sorry, I'm back."_

"You're mom?" Luke pressed.

"She's um, in the bathroom," Rory lied through a wince. She wasn't a very good liar.

Luke sighed a fustrated breath. "I really need to talk to her. When she comes out, have her call me okay?" he asked, though he suspected she wasn't really in the bathroom. If she was even with Rory.

"_Okay. I have to go. Bye, Luke."_

"Bye."

After hanging up, Luke threw the phone across the room. He did it on impulse; he did it because he was fustrated. He didn't understand why she wasn't taking his calls, why she wouldn't see him. And so e knew he had to take a few minutes to sit down and sort through his memory. He had to be fully aware of everything he knew, of everything that happened before this day. The events of his previous future may be gone, but the past was still there.

Luke hurried to his nightstand where he pulled out a pad and paper. He then walked back across the room, pulled out a chair and sat down at the table at 10:22. He checked the time while sitting down. And then with the pen poised in the air and the paper below him, he searched his mind for some answers. He thought it would be best to start with the night she asked him to marry her. It was the first thing that popped into his head.

"_Luke will you marry me?"_

"_What?"_

"_Luke, will you-"_

"_Yes."_

"_Well, you don't have to answer so-"_

"_Yes."_

"_Well, you can take a minute to-"_

"_No."_

Luke smiled after replaying the scene in his mind. The look on her face when he said no, he didn't need time... he'll always remember it. She looked surprised, happy, nervous. But the happy, the sparkle in her eyes, that's what he focused on. The way she looked at him, it was like he just made her dreams come true.

**May- Engaged-** he jotted down, deciding to make a little time line. He needed a way to sort everything out.

The next thing his mind went to was when he gave her the ring.

"_Full moon! Moment's here!" he shouted while walking through her house. After declaring himself, he turned back outside, leaving the door open behind him. _

_A minute later, Lorelai showed up while he was pacing back and forth across her porch. _

"_Hey," she said and Luke turned in time to see her pull a smile. It didn't reach her eyes. But it hadn't, for the most part, for a couple of days now. _

_Luke took the few steps to walk closer to her, all the while the ring burning a whole through his pocket. _

"_Hey," he said through a low, gruff voice while automatically reaching for her hips. _

"_You mentioned something about a moment," Lorelai prodded gently while wrapping her fingers around his wrists. _

_Luke nodded while looking at her carefully. Her eyes were glassy, her blue orbs cloudy. _

"_You were crying," he said without question. _

"_What? No, I, uh-"_

"_It's okay," he assured her through a small smile."I know this is hurting you."_

_Lorelai took a breath while looking down at the floor. _

"_She'll come back," he whispered. _

_Lorelai nodded while trying not to tear up again. She couldn't help it. Thinking about it, it made her upset. _

"_Hey," he said while gently lifting her chin. "I'm here," he said roughly. "You need to cry; I got two shoulders; pick one," he said through a grin. _

_Lorelai laughed a little through teary eyes while falling into his chest, burying her face in his flannel. _

_Luke smiled while wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. _

_A moment or two passed as they gently swayed back and forth ._

_After another minute, Luke tucked her hair behind her ear, then whispered, "I have something for you."_

"_Oh, whatever could it be," she mumbled into his shirt. _

"_Something shiny."_

"_Does it go on my finger?" she asked through a grin. _

"_Yup. Stays there forever too."_

_Lorelai pulled back to look up and smile at him."Gimme."_

_Luke rolled his eyes, but none the less smiled while reaching to his back pocket for the ring case. He pulled the black box out then opened it up for her to see what was inside. _

"_Ooh, pretty," she gushed through wide eyes. "Put it on me! Put it on me!" she cheered while bouncing from foot to foot. _

_Luke quickly freed the ring from its case, lifted her hand, then slid the ring onto her finger, where it belonged. _

"_And now it's offical," she murmured through a mesmorized sigh. _

"_Yup," he agreed. _

"_No gettin' away from me now."_

"_Don't wanna," Luke refused. _

_Lorelai smiled while throwing herself into him, and Luke more than gladly held onto her. _

"_Thank you," she whispered a moment later. _

"_Thank you," he corrected. _

Luke's previous smile had nearly doubled before the flashback faded from his mind's eye. And after peaking at his list and seeing that that memory went along with the first, he searched for the next.

"_Lorelai?"_

"_Uh, Luke, I'm upstairs!"_

"_Yeah, uh, can you come down? I have to talk to you about something?"_

"_Okay, yes, I will come down, but I'm coming down in my wedding dress!"_

"_What? No!"_

"_Yes!"_

"_It's bad luck for me to see the wedding dress!"_

"_I know, but I need you to see this dress. There's something not right up here. It was too easy. I can't be objective anymore."_

"_But-"_

"_I'm coming down!"_

"_I don't-" but the words stopped there when he saw her. _

"_Well?"_

"_It's- you're perfect."_

"_Really?" Have you seen the back? I think the train's a little weird, and I can still take it back if you don't think-"_

"_It's perfect."_

"_Are you sure?" _

_Luke smiled at her before leaning in to place a soft kiss on her lips. _

_She pulled back, grinning from ear to ear before saying, "It's not bad luck if it's under five minutes!" _

Luke laughed a bit as he pictured her running upstairs in her wedding dress, but then he realized why he was there that night. He tried to tell her about April, but he couldn't. And that's when he realized his problems began there- April. Everything was on track before that. Rory had just come back; Lorelai was happy, but he found out he had a daughter. That complicated things.

After writing **May-Nov- Good**- in regards to he and Lorelai, the next memory came.

"_I thought you couldn't get away."_

"_I got away," Lorelai said with a look of pure shock covering her face. _

"_She said she wasn't a strangler," April defended. _

"_Uh, you want to go outside and-"_

"_Uh huh."_

"_April, I'll be right back, okay?"_

"_Okay."_

_He went outside to find Lorelai standing there with her arms crossed over her chest and her gaze towards the square. _

"_So she's-"_

"_Yeah."_

"_Wow."_

"_I know."_

"_That's-"_

"_My daughter."_

"_I don't believe it."_

"_I still have trouble believing it."_

"_You have a-"_

"_Yeah."_

"_Right. And what is she, twelve?"_

"_Yeah. Twelve."_

"_Twelve years. Twelve years! This is for sure?"_

"_It's for sure."_

"_When'd you find out?"_

"_I just found out."_

"_Just? When just? She's in there filling salt shakers! It doesn't feel that new to me!"_

"_Two months ago._

"_Two months! That's a hell of a long time to go without telling me!"_

"_I know, I should have told you."_

"_... She's cute."_

"_Lorelai, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I'm sorry. It's all just a blur of stuff happening. I mean, she just came into the diner two months ago, no warning, talking about a science fair and how I may be her father and she pulled my hair out and DNA tested it, and then I wanted to forget the whole thing but I went to the fair and found out the truth. And we were at the park and she wanted to come here. And I called you today, wanting a moment to talk about it, but you were busy and so I put it off again and here we are."_

"_Here we are."_

"_It's stupid. I'm stupid."_

"_Look, I need to digest this, and you have to get back inside, so, uh, I'm just going to go somplace where I can digest this and we will just talk more later, okay?"_

"_Sure. Whenever you want."_

"_Okay."_

"_I'm sorry."_

Luke saw her nod before she turned and walked away. He hated that day, he hated it so much. And from there, that's when his relationship with Lorelai started to falter.

**January- Told Lorelai about April**

Luke sighed while leaning back in his seat. After that, he focused on April. He remembred times with her, hanging out in the diner, at the park, picking her up, dropping her off- it just being him and his daughter. But then her 13th birthday came. He needed Lorelai. She came, did everything she could and he saw that he was being stupid before. He wanted to include her. But everyone wasn't on board with that idea.

Luke stared at the table while the scene played through his mind.

It was after the birthday party. He thought everything was good. April was happy; Lorelai was happy; he was happy... but Anna wasn't. She stormed through the diner. She pissed. They talked.

Everything came rushing back.

She threatened to take April away. She warned him he couldn't do that, leave her daughter with someone she didn't know. Luke had no choice, he had to comply with her wishes or he'd lose his daughter. He had to tell Lorelai that Anna wasn't happy. He had to tell his fiance that she couldn't be around his daughter anymore.

They started missing each other. He'd call and she'd either answer and hang up quickly, or not answer at all. She was hardly coming to the diner. She was looking at him, but not really looking at him. Her smile didnt' reach her eyes.

Luke slammed his fist on the table, cursing himself for not figuring this out earlier. He just didn't see it. He wasn't looking. He was so wrapped up with his daughter, he couldn't see it. Lorelai was hurting. _He_ was hurting _his_ fiance.

Suddenly the picture of Lorelai walking around with that jerk flashed through his head. He saw them together, holding hands, kissing... it made him angry, so angry.

"Damn you, Anna," he cursed. "You won't win this. I'll get her back," he promised into his empty apartment. "You won't take my kid and you wont drive her away. You can go to hell."

_To Be Continued...._

**Oooohhh, cliffy, wham! LoL. **

**I would love, love, love some feedback, :D. **

**Thank you!!!!**


	3. Now or Never

_Here it is, as promised, the last chapter!!! _

_But before we get into that, as always, I want to thank my amazing reviewers. Thank you!! :D_

_And now to the big event. The only thing I have to say is that it's been a short, but fun ride, and I hope you all enjoy the update, and have enjoyed the story. It's been a pleasure!!!_

_Don't forget to review when you're done!! _

**Undo It **

**Chapter Three: Now or Never**

After realizing his mistake, Luke stood up while quickly working out a plan in his mind. He had to find her and tell her. He had to beg for forgiveness; plead for her to accept his apology. He had to show her that she mattered to him; that he was in love with her and that that would never, ever change. He knew for a fact that he would always feel that way for her because even on December 5th, 2006, when seeing her walking around with her néw husband, behind the anger and jealousy, was love. Even months after their parting, he still loved her.

Luke nodded to himself before hurrying across the room to pick up the scattered pieces of his cell phone. He swiped the battery, the battery cover, then the phone and after quickly assembling it, he was gone.

" Hey, boss, good you're-" but before Casar could finish his sentence, Luke was across the room and out the door.

"Oh, the poor boy," Patty murmured through a sad frown while watching him go from where she sat by the window.

"Whats wrong with Luke?" Kirk asked.

"He and Lorelai had a little fight."

"She whack that cute butt-a his with a spatula again?" Babette asked while turning from her table with Morey to join in on the conversation.

Patty shrugged and said, "maybe; she didnt say what happened. But whatever happened, the girl's smart; she's making him pay."

" The longer the fight, the better the sex! " Babette boosted

Patty frowned while turning back to the window to watch as the man in question climbed into his truck. "Smart, smart girl," she muttered through a longing sigh.

XXX

Luke must have went back and forth from the Inn to her house to the diner a million times. He even went to Yale, but nothing. He couldn't find her. Everytime he went to the Inn, Michel or Sookie would tell him some lame excuse. Her house was always empty. After driving all the way to the Yale, he realized he didn't know where Rory's new apartment was; all he knew was that she lived with Logan. He knew calling Rory would do no good; she'd just tell him Lorelai wasn't there or was in the bathroom or on the phone or sleeping... something like that. And now at nearly 10 p.m, Luke was panicking. After pacing back and forth through his apartment for merely ten minutes, he couldn't take it anymore He went outside, walked through town, went to the places she normally visited. He tried Weston's, the post office, BWR, Dooses, the Video Store, the Pet Store, the Hair Salon and the lake. He even stopped by the old Independence Inn knowing she sometimes went there to waunder around if she was having a bad day or feeling sad, but no luck. He'd been everywhere and after searching for hours, he just didn't know what to do. Time was running out and he couldn't stop it. He couldn't tell her that the future was horrible; they had to fix things tonight or they'd lose it all. He called her a million times, left messages, but she wouldn't talk to him.

Now, the sky was dark, the night was growing older with every passing moment and Luke knew it could be a matter of minutes before time magically altered itself; the shift landing him back to the horrible future he desperately wanted to avoid. He thought there was a chance that maybe it didn't work like that. Maybe he'd finish out the night as normal, but wake up the next morning to December- if he failed-but either way, he didn't have forever. _They_ didn't have forever. He knew if he was ever going to have a future with Lorelai, this was it; this was his last shot.

After circling the town, Luke sulked his way back through the diner. He felt defeated. He felt hopeless. Part of him wanted to drink himself back to sleep, get the inevitable over with, while part of him wanted to head over to Chris's place and give the guy a piece of his mind. Punch him in the face, knee him in the gut, throw his head into a wall, curse him out... he pictured doing those things in his head and fought hard to stop himself from grabbing his key and going. He knew beating the guy up wouldn't help. He needed to keep trying to get Lorelai. That was the only way.

"Hey, Luke, are you gonna be around for a while?" Lane asked while stopping on her way to serve a table.

"Why?"

"We could really use your help," the young adult explained, clearly exasperated with the full diner.

Luke sighed while turning to look out the window. No sign of Lorelai.

"Yeah, I'll be around," he said a minute later.

"Great. I'll take this side if you take that side," she said while nodding to each side of the room.

Luke nodded before heading to a young couple by the window.

"What can I get ya?" he asked, his voice dull.

"I'll have a grilled chicken salad," the woman answered. "Ranch dressing, please."

"I'll have a burger and fries. Oh, and a coke. Coffee, baby?"

"Yes. Thank you, Honey."

"It'll be five minutes," Luke said after writing down the order then heading to the kitchen.

When he turned back to serve another table, the bells jingled, grabbing his attention. He looked up and his eyes widened at the girl who came in.

"Lorelai," he awed while rushing to her.

"Hey," she said while tucking her hair behind her ear. "I need to talk to you."

"Where the hell have you been?!" he demanded. "I've been trying to reach you all day! I went all over looking for you! I called a millon times, but you never answered ur house phone; your cell was dead or something; you wouldn't pick up at the Inn; I was starting to think something happened to you!" he nearly shouted, the noise causing everyone to turn and look at them.

She shook her head and said, "it doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters! You can't just run off and ignore me all day! At least tell me you're okay! Is that too much to ask!? To know that my fiance is okay! I was worried sick!" he exclaimed, not bothering to keep his voice in check.

"Let's elope," she blurted.

His eyes widened. "What?"

_XXX_

_Earlier_

After making sure her bases were covered, Lorelai hopped in her Jeep and drove out of town. Almost an hour passed before she found herself at a place she used to visit when she was a kid. A place she went to every summer before she had Rory and left home.

When she arrived at Harvey's Beach, the place was of course closed; it wouldn't open for another couple of weeks, but that didn't stop Lorelai from walking across the board walk, climbing over the railing, then falling into the sand. It was a short jump, just a foot or two more than the length of her body, so it wasn't a problem.

When she landed, she slipped off her flip-flops then carried them by the straps between her fingers as she padded across the beach. Soon she arrived just a few feet away from the shore and that's where she plopped down. She crossed her legs while lowering her back to the sand. She then fixed her skirt and pulled her shirt back over her belly. After plucking her cell from her pocket and turning it off, she folded her hands over her tummy and looked up at the sky.

For almost an hour, Lorelai tried to think of something to do. Thoughts flew through her mind but every scenerio she mustered up ended the same way- with her losing Luke. She so afraid to push him, even a little, for fear that'd he'd go and never come back. She knew he was trying so hard to be a good dad to his daughter, that she a hard time being mad at him for leaving her in the cold. He wasn't doing anything deliberately, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. For months, she's been hurting.

"Please," she prayed with her eyes on the clouds,"help us. I can't lose him. Please."

After sending her plea to the sky, Lorelai took a deep breath while closing her eyes. Not five minutes passed and she was asleep.

The Gilmore awoke hours later, to the sound of an airplane flying overhead. She slept for more than five hours, the nap making up for lost time the night before. She didn't sleep well at Sookie's. Between Martha waking up crying and her own bad dreams, she just couldn't rest for any long period of time. A half hour here, forty minutes there- that was all she could get. So naturally, she was tired, but it was more than a lack of sleep that made her droozy. She was worn out. She was running on empty. For how much longer she could go on without fuel, she wasn't sure.

When her eyes opened, it took her a minute to realize where she was. After she did, she reached for her cell and turned it back on. Numerous missed calls from Luke and multiple messages were left from the man. Two messages from Rory, four texts, and three missed calls. Michel called a few times, but of course, he didn't leave a message. He never left messages. Even her mother called, but after listening to the message, she discovered the woman was just reminding her not to be late.

"Six years and you don't think I know what time dinner is," Lorelai muttered while deleting the message.

After clearing her inbox and voicemail, she called people back, starting with her daughter, who was relieved to hear from her. She called back everyone but Luke. She just didn't want to deal with the man at the moment. She wanted to get herself together first. She wanted to get dinner over with, trudge her way through another long meal with Emily Gilmore, then figure out what to do about Luke. One issue at a time.

It was after five when Lorelai left the beach. She drove home, changed into something pretty for dinner so her mother wouldn't make comments about her lack of an updated wardrobe, then off to Hartford she went.

The dinner was different, what with Christopher being there and his surprise date. But the woman turned out to be of help. Lorelai climbed into Caroyln's car at a quarter to 9 p.m and ended up talking to her for over a half hour. She told the stranger her problems and afterwards actually felt a little better. She knew what she had to do now. She had to show Luke she was hurting. She had to show him that she couldnt' wait forever. She knew there was a chance she'd lose him if she pushed too hard but she thought it was worth the risk. He claimed to love her and she knew that was true so she rationalized that he'd do something. Plans would be made. Their problems would get fixed. She just had to do something.

Lorelai drove back to Stars Hollow, her body antsy through every passing traffic light. She tried to calm her nerves, but she just couldn't. She tried to plan out exactly what she would say to Luke, but she couldn't seem to focus her thoughts. She was too anxious. She was too scared.

Soon enough, Lorelai passed the 'Welcome to Stars Hollow' sign. She didn't bother to pull up to the diner; instead she stopped the car in front of Weston's. She needed to get out from behind the wheel; she needed to start walking.

Her pace quickened further with every step and when she caught sight of Luke through the window, she practically ran through the door. She told him she needed to talk to him; he yelled at her for screening his calls all day, for worrying him. Then something happened. A few words slipped through her lips. She didn't mean for them to. She intended on talking to him, telling him what was going on, how she's been feeling the last few months but she couldn't get there. And after the look of pure shock on Luke's face, she knew she'd made a mistake. But it was too late to take it back.

After hearing her say "Let's elope," Luke's mouth fell open. His eyes widened. He was stunned and barely managed to utter a,"what?"

"Come on, Luke. Grab your keys; let's go," she urged while reaching for his hand.

Luke just contined to look at her, his mind desperately trying to catch up to the situation.

"Elope?" he questioned seconds later.

She nodded vigorously while saying, "you said that would be fine at Martha's Vineyard. Didn't you say that would be fine at Martha's Vineyard?"

He realized he did, he did say that. "Yes, I did; I'm just-"

"Come on, then!" she interrupted."Let's go! We can drive to Maryland. What the hell, right? I mean, you have to see Maryland eventually. We can drive there, get married, and then come back here. And you'll get your stuff, and you'll move in," she explained thoroughly.

Luke put the order pan that sat in his hand down on the table next to him while saying, "okay, hold on-"

"I mean we have the plan already, right? We just have to put the plan in motion."

Luke shook his head. "Let's calm down. We don't have to do this now; we don't have to get married now."

"Yes, we do! We've been waiting and putting it off and I don't want to put it off anymore!" she exclaimed.

"But right now?"

"Yes! Now is the right time! It's the best time because it's now!"

Luke quickly reached for the door while putting his hand on the small of her back to guide her outside.

"Your car or mine?" she asked.

"Lorelai, lets just talk this through," he pleaded.

She shook her head vehemently while saying, "no, I don't wanna talk; all we've done for months is talk. I want to do. I want to go."

"But we can't just take off and get married," he argued.

"Why not, Luke? Don't you love me?" she challeneged.

His eyes widened in surprise that she questioned that, questioned him. "You know I do."

"But I love you, Luke! I love you! But I've waited, and I've stayed away, and I've let you run this thing, and no more! I asked you to marry me and you said yes! You said yes!"

Luke nodded while looking down at the floor with his head trying to process the scene. "Yes, I'm just trying to think here."

"We fixed up the house, right? We have a bigger closet, and I didn't get the purple wallpaper because you didn't want the purple wallpaper. And if it's between you and the purple wallpaper, I pick you! I pick you!"

"I didn't tell you not to get the purple wallpaper."

"Oh my God; you didn't like it!"

"I don't care about wallpaper!"

"Do you care about me?!"

"Yes!"

"Becuase I'm going crazy here. I made a commitment to you, and I need to make it happen," she urged.

"It will, it will happen, okay; I just have Ap-" but this thought stopped there. April. He had April to consider. That's what he was going to say. That words were seconds away from coming out automatically. He had his daughter to think about. But then he realized that had been what he'd done. Just considering April. He hadn't been considering Lorelai.

"What?" she asked, breaking his thoughts.

"April," he murmured absentmindedly.

"Once we're married, everything with April will be fine; Anna said so."

That caught his attention again."Anna said so; what does that mean?"

"When I talked to Anna-"

"When did you talk to Anna?"

"After the party."

He looked at her with knitted brows. "I didn't know you talked to Anna. You weren't supposed to talk to Anna."

"I know; I'm sor- God, no! I'm not gonna defend myself! For months now, I've been skulking around not saying anything, not having an opinion, like I'm Clarence Thomas or something and I.... I'm done with that. I-I've been waiting for a long time, and I don't want to wait anymore!"

Luke shook his head. "I need a minute to think this through."

"No!"

"Lorelai, please, I have April!" he shouted. "I have to figure out how to-"

But she didn't let him finish."You're gonna have to figure how April fits into our lives, not the other way around!"

"I'm trying!" he yelled. And he was. He was trying so hard. The more this fight escalated, the more he knew that this was it. This was the event. But how to stop it the same outcome from happening, he wasn't sure. Yes, he knew he had to open his eyes to Lorelai, but he still had a daughter. He had to figure out what to do about his daughter too. And he just couldn't think that fast, not like Lorelai. He couldn't keep up. He needed time.

"Well try married!"

"Just wait!"

"No! I'm not waiting! It's now or never!"

"I don't like ultimatums!"

"I don't like Mondays, but unfortunatley, they come around eventually!"

"I can't just jump like this," he said with a voice begging for her to understand that.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that," she murmured through a sniffle while folding her arms over her chest. She met his eyes, holding his stare for moment, searching his gaze for something to hold onto, but she couldn't find what she was looking for.

"And I have to go," she muttered in barely above a whisper while turning to walk away.

Luke watched her turn through wide, panic-stricken eyes. This was it. He knew that this was it. She was walking away. It was over. He had to stop to her. But jumping, he didn't know if he could just jump. And he argued with himself, his mind playing tennis while she walked further and further away.

"It doesn't matter; stop her," he urged through a growl. "You let her go and this is it," he reminded himself. But a second later and no words. Lorelai was reaching the end of the block.

He knew getting married tonight wouldn't fix anything; it would create more problems. He needed to figure out April first. He needed to find a way to fix that too.

"Damn it," he cursed while she reached the next block.

He closed his eyes for a second and the image of Lorelai with Christopher appeared in his mind and at the sight, his eyes flew open. He couldn't let that happen. He just couldn't.

"Lorelai, wait!" he called without thinking. He just couldn't let her go; he couldn't let this be it; he couldn't go back to that future where he wasn't with her.

She stopped dead in her tracks, but she didn't turn around.

Luke took a step to follow after her but had to stop when a truck rounded the corner. He waited impatiently for the car to go by and as it passed, his eyes caught sight of a big, bold message on the side of the truck. It was a traveling AD that read, 'Cleanin' Gals,' then below it in slightly smaller lettering it said, 'We Don't Just Live Together; We Work Together. We're A Mother-Daughter Duo Who Can Clean Your Home Like No Other! Why, You Ask? Because We Work As A Team To Get Your Home Spic-And-Span Clean! Call Us At 889-4591!

The AD was cheesy of course, but after reading it, something went off in Luke's brain. Togther- that word stuck out. Maybe he didn't have to fix one, then the other. Maybe he could do both. Maybe, with help from the girl standing at the end of the street, he could find a balance. She was ready to help from day one, but he pushed her away. Now he was realizing doing it one at a time wasn't nearly the right way. Like a team, they had to work like a team.

"Lorelai!" he called while running to get to her.

She stood motionless with her head down and her arms wrapped tightly around her body.

Luke flew into her, throwing his arms around her and pulling her to him. His arm was firm around her back while his other hand craddled her head to his chest.

The tears that had been welling in her eyes fell free the moment he got to her.

"I love you so much," he said with emotion while pressing small kisses to the top of her head. "I can't lose you. I can't. I know what it's like without you, and I can't," he explained.

Lorelai thought he was talking about their breakup the year before but what she didn't know was that the man holding her knew a glimpse of the future that could've have been, and that's what he was talking about.

"I love you too," she returned between sobs while her body shook in his arms.

Luke held her tighter, if that were possible. "Don't go away," he pleaded.

"Luke-"

"I'm sorry; I've been an idiot; I'm sorry," he stressed desperately."But I need you, I need you to help me figure this all out. Please, Lorelai."

Lorelai closed her eyes while taking in a deep breath. She then tilted her head up to peak at him. "You want me to help you?" she asked carefully.

He nodded. "I don't know why I pushed you away before; I guess I got tunnel-visioned and I thought I needed to fix that before we could move on, but that was stupid. I never meant to hurt you, Lorelai. I never meant to put us on hold. I'm sorry," he apologized helplessly, his eyes begging for her forgiveness. "April loves you and I know you love her." She nodded while wiping her eyes. "It doesn't matter what Anna thinks. I don't know why I let that stop me before. She doesn't need to be happy for us to be okay. If I have to take her to court to see my kid, then I will. She'll be apart of our lives," he promised, his words firm and leaving no room for argument.

"Our lives?" she questioned in just above a whisper.

He nodded. "I wanna marry you, pack all my crap up and move into your house, but Lorelai, not tonight," he said while tucking her silky hair behind her ear. "I know you want a wedding. I don't really care so much about a big party or anything, but I know you want people there. Rory, Sookie, Jackson, your parents, the town," he reminded her. "You'll regret eloping; I know you will," he explained gently. "I'm not trying to put it off. Hell, if you want, in the morning we'll go down to city hall and make this legal; we'll get married, but you want a real wedding, don't you?" She nodded shyly. "And you deserve one. I want you to have everything, Lorelai. Let's plan a wedding, you and me. We'll do it right."

Lorelai nodded through a growing smile while a fresh round of tears bubbled in her eyes.

Through a soft smile Luke asked, "what's wrong?"

She shook her head while falling back to his chest. "For a second there, you had me thinking that it was over," she murmured to his neck.

"Me too," Luke agreed."But I can promise you this won't ever happen again, Lorelai. I won't come close to losing you again," he swore while hugging her tightly.

"Good," she breathed while wrapping her arms around his back.

"Yeah... good" Luke said with eyes waundering towards the sky. "Thank you," he whispered to the night. And the man would swear on anything that he heard his mother whisper a 'you're welcome' back to him.

Talk about a miracle.

**THE END!!!**

_Before you go, I hope you don't mind taking a minute to leave me your thoughts on what you've read. I adore feedback. And come on, you know you want to, LoL. :D_

_But more importantly, I'm gonna slap a 'Complete' on this one, but warn everyone that odds are, I will get an epilogue up and in hopefully a few weeks, max. So stay tuned for that. _

_Oh,and look at that fine little Review button... hehehe...._

_-Kaci-_


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